DAVID MURDOCK: From Etowah County to Croix Rouge Farm

By David MurdockSpecial to The Times

Published: Sunday, November 11, 2012 at 6:01 a.m.

Last Modified: Friday, November 9, 2012 at 6:54 p.m.

Today is Veterans Day. Although we have honored all veterans who served in our military on this day since about the 1950s, originally it was Armistice Day. Armistice Day marked the end of World War 1 on No. 11, 1918.

A brutally destructive conflict, World War I always has had a great interest for me for two reasons. Professionally, I spend quite a bit of time discussing the impact of the war on literature of the 1920s and 1930s with my students. Quite a bit of literature was produced from the soldiers who fought, and the specter of total trench warfare haunts the literature of the Modernist period. The Modernist period was one of the great periods of American literary history, so I make sure I give that literature its due.

Personally, my grandfather, Willis Franklin Murdock, served in the U.S. Army during World War I. I never met my grandfather; he died about five years before I was born. My family has always told such wonderful stories about him that I’ve “sought” him, if that makes any sense, by researching his life. His service as a “doughboy” in the Great War is one area that’s a bit sketchy for me. I know he was a cook, and I have a picture of him in France with some of his unit, but I don’t know what unit he served in or where in France they were. I keep meaning to write the Army and ask for his records, but I’m not sure they’d give me access.

A few weeks ago, I mentioned World War I in a column. As a result, Dr. Monique Seefried emailed me with information about the Battle of Croix Rouge Farm on July 26, 1918, in which men from Etowah County participated. These men served in the 167th (Alabama) Infantry Regiment, a part of the 42nd (Rainbow) Division. The Rainbow Memorial Bridge was named for this unit, along with other sites such as Rainbow Drive and Rainbow City.

Seefried put me in touch with Rod Frazer from Montgomery. He has researched the history of Alabama units in the Great War and told me some very interesting stories about the men from this area who fought in the American Expeditionary Force. Seefried and Frazer are directors of the Croix Rouge Farm Memorial Foundation. Unless otherwise noted, I am drawing my information from the Foundation’s website.

When I saw the website, I noticed that they had a complete roster of the 167th (Alabama) Infantry Regiment, so I eagerly poured through 44 pages looking for my grandfather. No luck. He simply wasn’t there. He was in another unit, so I’ll have to return to my original plan to write the Army.

What I did see on the website was astounding. It is a nicely detailed account of the battle and the 167th (Alabama) Infantry Regiment’s participation. The eye-catcher right off the bat was a quote from then-Col. Douglas MacArthur, who was the Rainbow Division’s chief of staff, about the Alabamans in the battle: “The 167th Alabama assisted by the left flank of the 168th Iowa had stormed and captured the Croix Rouge Farm in a manner which for its gallantry I do not believe has been surpassed in military history. It was one of the few occasions on which the bayonet was decisively used.”

I think that tells a lot about the nature of World War I. Another example of our Etowah County men’s bravery and skill comes from Frazer. He wrote me to tell me the story of Private Brock Hill of Attalla. Hill was serving in F Company of the 167th during the Champagne-Marne Offensive, just days before Croix Rouge Farm. German airplanes attacked the 167th and Hill was ordered to try to shoot one of them down. Shooting down an airplane from the ground is an extremely difficult task, but Frazer says that Hill managed to bring down a German plane with “only two shots from an automatic rifle” and earned a promotion to sergeant and the French Croix de Guerre for his accomplishment.

The website for the Croix Rouge Farm Memorial Foundation is wonderful. Y’all can access it at www.croixrougefarm.org. It has much interesting information and wonderful photographs of the memorial statue.

This powerful statue itself depicts an Alabama doughboy carrying a wounded comrade. Of particular interest are the photos of the statue’s inauguration. There are multiple pictures of civilians from France and America. There are many pictures of World War 1 re-enactors in period uniforms, American and French. The photos I find poignantly moving show modern American soldiers and French soldiers honoring their World War I counterparts.

As we honor our veterans today, please take a few moments to view the Croix Rouge Farm website. During the battle, our Etowah County boys fought, bled and died with their French comrades, and it’s good to see the sacrifice of all of them honored.

David Murdock is an English instructor at Gadsden State Community College.

<p>Today is Veterans Day. Although we have honored all veterans who served in our military on this day since about the 1950s, originally it was Armistice Day. Armistice Day marked the end of World War 1 on No. 11, 1918. </p><p>A brutally destructive conflict, World War I always has had a great interest for me for two reasons. Professionally, I spend quite a bit of time discussing the impact of the war on literature of the 1920s and 1930s with my students. Quite a bit of literature was produced from the soldiers who fought, and the specter of total trench warfare haunts the literature of the Modernist period. The Modernist period was one of the great periods of American literary history, so I make sure I give that literature its due.</p><p>Personally, my grandfather, Willis Franklin Murdock, served in the U.S. Army during World War I. I never met my grandfather; he died about five years before I was born. My family has always told such wonderful stories about him that I've “sought” him, if that makes any sense, by researching his life. His service as a “doughboy” in the Great War is one area that's a bit sketchy for me. I know he was a cook, and I have a picture of him in France with some of his unit, but I don't know what unit he served in or where in France they were. I keep meaning to write the Army and ask for his records, but I'm not sure they'd give me access.</p><p>A few weeks ago, I mentioned World War I in a column. As a result, Dr. Monique Seefried emailed me with information about the Battle of Croix Rouge Farm on July 26, 1918, in which men from Etowah County participated. These men served in the 167th (Alabama) Infantry Regiment, a part of the 42nd (Rainbow) Division. The Rainbow Memorial Bridge was named for this unit, along with other sites such as Rainbow Drive and Rainbow City.</p><p>Seefried put me in touch with Rod Frazer from Montgomery. He has researched the history of Alabama units in the Great War and told me some very interesting stories about the men from this area who fought in the American Expeditionary Force. Seefried and Frazer are directors of the Croix Rouge Farm Memorial Foundation. Unless otherwise noted, I am drawing my information from the Foundation's website.</p><p>When I saw the website, I noticed that they had a complete roster of the 167th (Alabama) Infantry Regiment, so I eagerly poured through 44 pages looking for my grandfather. No luck. He simply wasn't there. He was in another unit, so I'll have to return to my original plan to write the Army.</p><p>What I did see on the website was astounding. It is a nicely detailed account of the battle and the 167th (Alabama) Infantry Regiment's participation. The eye-catcher right off the bat was a quote from then-Col. Douglas MacArthur, who was the Rainbow Division's chief of staff, about the Alabamans in the battle: “The 167th Alabama assisted by the left flank of the 168th Iowa had stormed and captured the Croix Rouge Farm in a manner which for its gallantry I do not believe has been surpassed in military history. It was one of the few occasions on which the bayonet was decisively used.”</p><p>I think that tells a lot about the nature of World War I. Another example of our Etowah County men's bravery and skill comes from Frazer. He wrote me to tell me the story of Private Brock Hill of Attalla. Hill was serving in F Company of the 167th during the Champagne-Marne Offensive, just days before Croix Rouge Farm. German airplanes attacked the 167th and Hill was ordered to try to shoot one of them down. Shooting down an airplane from the ground is an extremely difficult task, but Frazer says that Hill managed to bring down a German plane with “only two shots from an automatic rifle” and earned a promotion to sergeant and the French Croix de Guerre for his accomplishment.</p><p>The website for the Croix Rouge Farm Memorial Foundation is wonderful. Y'all can access it at www.croixrougefarm.org. It has much interesting information and wonderful photographs of the memorial statue. </p><p>This powerful statue itself depicts an Alabama doughboy carrying a wounded comrade. Of particular interest are the photos of the statue's inauguration. There are multiple pictures of civilians from France and America. There are many pictures of World War 1 re-enactors in period uniforms, American and French. The photos I find poignantly moving show modern American soldiers and French soldiers honoring their World War I counterparts.</p><p>As we honor our veterans today, please take a few moments to view the Croix Rouge Farm website. During the battle, our Etowah County boys fought, bled and died with their French comrades, and it's good to see the sacrifice of all of them honored.</p>
<p class="italic font120">David Murdock is an English instructor at Gadsden State Community College.</p>